A Little Hope

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I could feel Gavin's hand tighten and watched as his eyes widened with shock.

What shocked me about his reaction was the fact that he was not already running for the door.

"You were pregnant?" He whispered after a while.

I found it amusing when his gaze dropped to my flat stomach. He looked puzzled at what he saw.

"It was a year ago Gavin, pregnancies only last up to nine months." I pointed out.

His eyes snapped up to mine again and he ran his free hand through his hair.

"How far along were you when you dropped out of school?" He asked, trying to seem calm.

"Gavin, if you don't want to-"

"Jewel, I am trying to listen here. Just answer the question, please?" He begged.

Sighing, I tightened my hold on his hand and tried to keep the memories from over running my mind.

"I was about three months along by then." I choked out.

Gavin sighed heavily and placed his other hand on my shoulder.

"Jewel, I told you I would not judge you. I am too mature to want to end up acting like a pre-teen."

Offering Gavin a wobbly smile, I took in a deep breath and continued.

"As much as I want to tell you that I was raped or even taken advantage of while I was drunk, the truth is that I fooled myself into believing I was in love." I pulled my hand from Gavin's and wrapped both my arms around my stomach, comforting myself. "Brad and I had been dating for three years by that time. We were at a party one night, hanging out with friends. I got tipsy on wine while Brad got drunk off his ass."

I narrowed my eyes on the blankets beneath me and hung my head shamefully.

"I don't know how I made myself believe that giving away my innocence at a party was a good idea; much less that giving it to a drunken boyfriend would be romantic." I rolled my eyes, laughing humourlessly. "I woke up to the sound of laughter and cheering. I walked out of the room we spent the night in to find Brad holding up my underwear with a grin on his face. He announced to everyone that he managed to get me into bed after three years. His friends were cheering him on, saying that they thought I would never put out for a guy. Apparently, I was just a sport to Brad, a way of building up his popularity and I really meant nothing to him. I was just another notch on his belt. Something everyone wanted and he got."

Closing my eyes, I felt a single tear run over my cheek.

"By the time Monday came around, I was known as the town's loose canon. My parents heard the story at work and everyone in the household, apart from my sister, ignored me."

"So your ex is the father?" Gavin asked into the silence.

His voice held a hard edge to it, making me look up to see his angry face.

"I didn't even realize I was pregnant till two months later. I went to tell him, trying to do the right thing, but an hour later, his father called and all but ordered me to be rid of the child. He even offered to pay for me to disappear and never come anywhere near his son."

Gavin's face turned a slight tinge of red at my words.

He breathed in deeply to calm down again.

"Did you get rid of it?" He asked.

His voice was barely above a whisper, clearly fearful of the answer.

I lowered my head again, staring down at my hands.